Her Curse
by Greycen Feardrop
Summary: When the Kellers moves into Blaire's small town, all seems fine but after discovering a mysterious tape in a box while helping them unpack, she begins to wonder what they may know. Now left drowning in the past she tried to forget, Blaire wonders how drastically this could affect her future.


Blaire sat alone at the wet bus stop awaiting the start of her day. With only a hood to protect her from the harsh rain, she was wet and shivering. She did not enjoy school very much.

Her classes were okay but she had no friends and was not shown much kindness. She did not mind the solitude but she always wondered what it would be like to have someone to talk to. Her parents were never home and she mostly raised herself. She removed herself from any social groups, not liking to talk people. She avoided any human interactions and was often teased for her silence.

Therefore when a boy, presumably a new student, came and sat on the opposite side of the bench, she stiffened defensively and let her hair fall in her face. With only minor glances at the boy through the slits in the dark curtain she had created, she examined him. He seemed about the same age, most likely a sophomore as well. His skin was pale and intense dark circles surrounded the fierce brown eyes that seemingly held all of his emotions. His hair rest lazily on his head, water droplets soaked the auburn tips of each lock. He seemed just as content as Blaire was skipping introductions but he spoke anyway, having to raise his voice slightly because of the splatter of rain on the pavement.

"Uh…I'm Aiden. I'm new in town…" Because of the way he awkwardly trailed off, Blaire hesitated but after a few moments she realized he was not going to say anything else and responded quickly.

"I'm Blaire. Welcome to town. Where are you from?" Aiden now positioned himself to face Blaire and Blaire faced him in return.

"Seattle."

"Oh, so you're already used to the rain then, I suppose. I was actually raised in a small town outside of Seattle. My family had a ranch out there for a long time but we eventually sold it and moved here."

"Yeah, it's nice here though. My mom and I lived in the city so the suburban, small town life is a nice transition. Why did you sell the ranch?" Blaire hesitated, choosing her words cautiously.

"Our family just has a…haunting past. What about you? What made you come to Oregon?"

"Kind of the same reason. We just wanted a new start. The place held some bad memories."

"Well I'm glad you chose to come here. I'm sure you'll like this place."

After a few different conversations and small talk, the bus finally pulled up to the curb. Aiden stood first, gripping the straps on his backpack anxiously as he climbed onto the bus, Blaire close behind.

The bus was full; being that Blaire was the last stop to and from school, leaving her and Aiden one empty seat. She usually walked to school but she had been running late. Now she was conflicted about whether or not that was a good thing. When they sat down they continued their conversation. Blaire examined Aiden's schedule, not surprised that it was nearly identical to her own because of their very small class. Blaire agreed to help him around the halls with a quick warning of the social suicide he would face by being seen with her which only lead to a laughing fit from Aiden over the irony of someone else worrying that_ they_ were going to ruin _his_ social status. When the bus finally stopped, they took their time walking to the school building, despite the rain. They were in no hurry to get to class unlike the students pushing past them and rushing urgently into the dry shelter provided by the indoors. The building was small and used to be an elementary school so it had a rusty playground that Blaire found creepy, especially on windy days when the vacant swings would sway slightly. The building itself was small but functioning enough and a lot cleaner on the inside than the outside would lead one to believe.

Tearing her gaze from the cracked cement, Blaire turned to Aidan and began a conversation.

"So what kind of stuff are you in to?" Aidan glanced at her before looking ahead once again.

"I like photography...and I listen to music a lot, I guess." Blaire nodded before responding.

"That's cool. I like music too. And I like to write. What kind of music do you like?"

"I don't have too much of a preference. I like it when a song has relatable lyrics. What about you?" He looked at her with an expectant smile.

"Well, I tend to listen to slow music but I like other stuff too."

By that time, they had ascended the front steps and were walking down the busy hall.

"So, we have English first hour with Mr. Astly. I think you'll like him." Blaire said.

"Cool, I always appreciate a good English teacher." Aiden replied. Blaire bit her lip growing nauseous. Was this that social interaction thing she tried to avoid? It must be. What else _could_ it be? But even Blaire knew it was too late to back out now and with that unnerved thought she silently sauntered into Mr. Astly's room with Aiden in tow.

"So how would you feel about coming over to my place?" Aiden asked. He and Blaire were finally on the bus after a long day of new textbooks and "example setting from his fellow classmates".

"Yeah, that sounds cool."

"Alright, cool. It's low stress. Just me and my mom. She's pretty laid back and all."

Blaire nodded.

The bus came to a stop at the same place as usual. In the morning the driver was committed to his job and drove to each stop with no protest but by afternoon the driver had a busful of highschoolers and a serious lack of motivation, leaving Blaire and Aiden a good ten minute walk to their street, which they walked quietly, enjoying each other's presence.

When the two arrived at Aiden's house, he led Blaire through the unlocked door and into the house. The rooms were empty, save for piles of boxes, some half unpacked and others completely unopened. They made their way into the living room, revealing a young woman with blonde hair and features resembling Aiden's, sitting by the fire place in a small section of the floor with boxes surrounding her. She looked up as they entered the room.

"Rachel, this is Blaire, I met her at school today." She stood with a smile to greet their guest.

"Hi, Blaire. I'm Aiden's mom, Rachel. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

Blaire shifted her weight awkwardly before Rachel spoke again.

"well ,Blaire, I would love to offer you a beverage but as you can see, we are not finished unpacking."

"Oh, that's alright."

At that Aiden cut in. "Actually, Mom, I was wondering if she could stay for dinner. Or rather join us wherever we go."

"Of course. That sounds great if you're okay with it, Blaire."

"Sounds good with me." Blaire replied. She took a glance at all the boxes on the floor and then at Rachel returning to her place on the floor.

"Y'know, I could help you unpack some stuff if you want."

"oh that's alright, you two can go hang out, you don't have to help me."

"No really, I'd love to help."

Less than an hour later, Blaire had helped her neighbors sort through six boxes and currently sat with a box of tapes and CDs, mostly Aiden's. It was not until she reached the bottom of the box that she found it. A tape with a small label placed on the side reading simply "Samara". Blaire sat quietly, staring at the tape for quite some time before Aiden noticed and snatched it out of her hand.

"Don't touch that."

He began to toss it in the direction of the fire but Blaire grabbed his arm swiftly before he let go of his tense grasp on the object.

"I wouldn't burn it either."

Aiden and Rachel stared at the girl before them in shock. Realizing her mistake, Blaire corrected herself quickly.

"I mean it just seems a shame. Surely you have some use for that tape."

Rachel looked at her skeptically. On the one hand, she was confident that Blaire knew something but she also feared that small chance that she did not.

"Right. I agree with Blaire. Hey, how about some dinner, are you guys hungry yet?"

In the meantime, Blaire questioned just how much these people knew as well. Had they seen the tape? If so, did they copy it? Were they safe? The box seemed like it had probably not been packed with the move and rather years ago but Blaire could not be certain of that.

As they walked to the car, Blaire began to wonder who exactly these new neighbors were and what they were not telling her.


End file.
